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Did Rick Hahn and White Sox come out winners?
Although GM Rick Hahn and the Chicago White Sox decided to stay dormant on the final day of the non-wavier trade deadline, they did pull off arguably the biggest deal of baseball’s trading season.
Related: Chicago White Sox Fans Should Feel Pessimistic About Avisail Garcia
Sending right-hander Jake Peavy to the Boston Red Sox in a three-team trade involving the Detroit Tigers, Hahn and the White Sox were able to accomplish both of their goals. Not only did they receive a package of four prospects in exchange for Peavy, they were also able to avoid eating the rest of his remaining contract.
The haul of young talent and freed up cap space from the Peavy deal allows Hahn some economic flexibility, while also adding impact prospects to a farm system that lacks overall depth.
In my opinion, when the dust settles, the White Sox will be the unanimous winner of the three-team trade.
A glance at the four prospects headed to the South Side:
OF Avisail Garcia: Coming over from the Tigers organization, Garcia is the centerpiece of the deal for the White Sox. Nicknamed “Mini Miggy” in Detroit for his resemblance to Tigers’ slugger Miguel Cabrera, the 22-year-old outfielder is a five-tool guy. Ranked 74th on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospect List, Garcia has the potential to become a franchise player for the Sox in the near future. With power to all fields, he’s spent most of his time in Triple-A this year, where he’s posted a monster line of .374/.410/.537. Chicago will start Garcia at Triple-A Charlotte, but my guess is by the end of the month he’ll make his White Sox debut. Whether he’ll play center field or one of the corner outfield spots at the big league level is still undecided, but I believe the South Siders have landed an impact bat for years to come.
RHP Jeffery “J.B.” Wendelken: One of the three prospect sent to Chicago from the Red Sox, Wendelken features a low to mid 90s fastball. He’s a solid athlete and will begin his White Sox career at Single-A Kannapolis. At 20-years-old, the Sox will most likely use the right-hander as a reliever and possibly give him the opportunity to close.
RHP Francelis “Frank” Montas: Of the three players coming over from Boston, Montas seems to have the most upside. With a fastball that reaches triple-digits, the right-hander has a big arm and figures to have the ability to both start and come out of the bullpen. If he’s able to improve on his control and continue to develop his off-speed pitches at Single-A Kannapolis, Montas should be able to move his way up through the system and could be the biggest steal of the Peavy trade for Chicago.
2B/SS Cleuluis Rondon: A switch-hitting middle infielder, Rondon, 19, was the third prospect brought over from the Red Sox. Known for his defense, the White Sox will also send him to Single-A Kannapolis. If he’s able to produce more from the plate, he might be a solid utility man down the road.
Matt Malecha is a Chicago White Sox writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattMalecha and add him to your network on Google
